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Ostian Trading Company
Able to trace its founding back to 13 Aprilis, 11 P.A., the Imperial Ostian Trading Company (also called the Ostian Trade Company, Company, or simply OTC) was the oldest state-chartered economic venture still in existence, until it's end with the fall of Ostia. Plans to revive the company were announced along with major investment into Ostia's economic infrastructure, with Slowassassin taking the leading position in the new company . Once lead by the semi-mythical Iax of Ostia, it was the single largest merchant organization in the contemporary world, and the driving force behind Old Ostia's growth until its fall; it is hoped that it will live up to its past History The company was originally a joint-stock company founded by Aventinian merchants in only a few years Post Auroram for the purpose of exploring and exploiting the rich natural resources rumored to exist on Valentia's northern penninsula, at that time known as the isle of Ostia. Instead of discovering the natural wealth they had hoped for, the merchants of the OTC discovered an altogether different kind of treasure; a deep natural harbor, strong natural defenses, access to fresh water springs, and an excellent junction for trade between river and sea. Leaping at the opportunity, the merchants obtained a state charter from the then Lord Flavius, establishing a large outpost and dedicated port from which they planned to explore and trade with more distant lands. These efforts largely failed, and the Ostian Trading Company was on the verge of bankruptcy by the end of the 9th year P.A. In contrast to the failure of the OTC's long-distance trading and mining ventures, the outpost itself had expanded greatly, and become an important and necessary hub of local trade. Early in the 12th year P.A., control of the land was turned over to renowned architect and explorer Tamburlaine, who used his extensive personal wealth to fund the reorganization and incorporation of the chaotic outpost into the new city of Ostia; seeing the need for the continued existence of the OTC, he offered control of the company, and thereby an equal share in the governance of the city, to a powerful merchant and fellow explorer known as Iax. Around the same time, Ostia joined Aventius in the formation of the Aurelian Empire under King Flavius, and the company was renamed the Imperial Ostian Trading Company. Iax, with the strong backing of not only the most powerful city in the region, but also the most powerful nation in the world, quickly restructured the company around the idea of small comprehensive outposts, which traded in huge amounts of basic goods and provide a range of basic services. Within a few months, the company was profitable again; within two years, it had become the most powerful and far-reaching enterprise in the known world, with a major branch in every other city in the Empire, its own merchant fleet, and a commanding fortress widely considered impregnable against any power short of Aventinus. However, all that was lost when the mouth of Ostia's harbor permanently froze over so thickly that ships were completely incapable of breaking through. Trappped in the harbor of their own making, Ostia and the OTC alike slowly crumbled into ruin and decay. With Ostia's rebirth in the new world the opportunity has finally come to reestablish the OTC and continue the legacy of the past. Branches and Operations While not yet an active market player, the OTC intends to operate across the globe on a scale as of yet unseen in Eleutheria.